REVEALED: US spies have been helping Ukraine military with intelligence to track Russian movements in the country where at least eight of Putin's generals have died
The US has been providing real-time intelligence to Ukrainian forces since Russia invaded the country in February, former and current U.S. officials said
On Tuesday, an analysis by independent Russian outlet revealed that 317 officers of junior lieutenant rank and above have been killed in Putin's invasion
A third of the casualties came from the most senior grades - major or above - including eight generals and the deputy commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet
Last week, in one of the most recent blows to Russia's army, Moscow admitted another officer, Col. Mikhail Nagamov, had been killed in battle April 13
His death was announced hours after the death of Alexander Chirva, captain of the Caesar Kunikov tank landing ship - which was blown up by a Ukraine air strike
By Alex Hammer For Dailymail.Com
Published: 19:43 BST, 27 April 2022 | Updated: 13:16 BST, 28 April 2022
US spies have been helping Ukraine's military with intelligence about the movements of its Kremlin invaders, and at least eight generals have been killed.
Officials reaveled to NBC News on Tuesday that American intelligence played a crucial role in the country's successful campaigns so far, and have helped the Ukranian government by repeatedly flagging the time and location of Putin's planned strikes.
'From the get-go, we leaned pretty heavily forward in sharing both strategic and actionable intelligence with Ukraine,' an unnamed US official who agreed to speak to the outlet under the condition of anonymity said.
'It's been impactful both at a tactical and strategic level. There are examples where you could tell a pretty clear story that this made a major difference.'
A former senior intelligence official also told NBC News of the de facto alliance: 'There has been a lot of real-time intelligence shared in terms of things that could be used for specific targeting of Russian forces.'
The ex-official revealed that much of the funneled information consists of commercial satellite images, 'but also a lot of other intelligence about, for example, where certain types of Russian units are active.'
On Tuesday, an analysis by independent Russian outlet MediaZona revealed that 317 officers of junior lieutenant rank and above have been killed in Putin's so-far failed invasion, in a little over two months of fighting. At least eight generals have been killed.
Almost a third of the casualties came from the most senior grades - major or above - including a slew of generals and the deputy commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet.
Mikhail Nagamov, 41
Alexander Chirva
Mikhail Nagamov, 41 (left), and Alexander Chirva (right), are two of the most-recent officers Russia has admitted died in its war on Ukraine. US officials said Tuesday that it's been providing intelligence to Ukraine's government that has helped their military in several operations
Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, the deputy commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet, is one of the highest-ranking commanders that Russia has acknowledged were killed fighting in Ukraine. He was shot dead in February by a sniper. The US provided intel to Ukraine before the battle
Last week, in one of the most recent blows to the larger and better equipped Russian war machine, Moscow admitted yet another officer, Col. Mikhail Nagamov, had been killed in action, on April 13 - reportedly the 35th colonel to do so.
His death was announced just hours after the death of Alexander Chirva, captain of the Caesar Kunikov tank landing ship - which was blown up by a Ukrainian air strike in in the port of Berdyansk.
Major General Vladimir Frolov, meanwhile, the deputy commander of the 8th Combined Arms Army and one of Putin's most senior officers, was also killed earlier this month - the eighth general to die in the conflict.
The steady stream of high-ranking soldier deaths comes as it's been estimated that between 15,000 and 22,000 Russian troops have been slain in combat by Volodymyr Zelenskyy's army - with Moscow only owning up to a fraction of those deaths.